A wrinkle in time

It's a horizontal line between my nose and upper lip. I'm guessing it's some sort of laugh line. I think the name is misleading. I may have gotten it from laughing, but I'm not laughing now.

I've watched the progression of wrinkles closely for years now. I figured that I would be looking at premature wrinkling because of my sun abuse in my younger days, yet I continue to be surprised at the appearance of those pesky fine lines.

The frown lines (a much more appropriate name) were the first to appear. These are the prominent horizontal wrinkles across the forehead. When I had bangs it was easier to cover these up, but because of the motorcycle helmet, bangs are no longer an option.

For years I have seen those crinkly crow's-feet on the corners of Tom's eyes, but they have not seemed to go much further on him. Of course, wrinkles are distinguishing on a man, right?

I have been preparing for wrinkles for years, starting with moisturizer in my early 20s and although there are people who are still surprised that I am 44, I can clearly see the elasticity disappearing from my face. When I wake up from a nap the telltale pillow dent can stay on my cheek for hours. My husband smirks and says "Sooooo, did you take a nap today?"

One morning I wore a crocheted hat to work and the bumps from it stayed on my forehead almost until lunch. The only good thing about that was that they distracted from my frown lines for a couple of hours.

So I moisturize more with specific creams targeted for specific areas of my face like my eyes. I would consider more drastic measures but I hate needles, so Botox isn't an option for me. Plus I have seen too many rubber-faced women on TV who probably look worse than if they had just let the wrinkles progress naturally.

My aunt once told me that she is embracing her wrinkles and trying to love each one. She is 10 years older than me so maybe she's a little further along in the process of acceptance than I am. I'm sure I'll get there some day.

For now I plan to continue on my daily regimen of cleansing and moisturizing along with religious use of sunscreen.

Unlike gray hairs that can be covered in dye, wrinkles are a daily reminder in the mirror of middle age and the approach of old age.

But I guess if I have to acquire more wrinkles, I'm going to make darn sure that they are the ones that are named for laughing.

Dawn Hovie is a Charlevoix resident. She is a special education teacher at Charlevoix Elementary School. Her column appears the fourth Saturday of the month. For this and past columns, visit theflipsidelifeafter40.blogspot.com.